This is one of my kiddos favorite dishes. Country Captain is a Southern Classic and there are a million different versions- this is my riff on it. It’s great for a make ahead dinner since its cooks for a bit and can be re-heated easily. Country Captain is also, a great way to introduce your children to curry. Serve on a Bed of Rice to catch all of the flavors and a Big Green Salad.
Serves 6
1 Chicken cut into 8 parts
1 package of chicken legs of thighs bone in
4 strips bacon diced
1 medium white onion diced
1 Red Bell Pepper diced
3 Carrots diced
2 stalks celery diced
1 26 oz container chopped Tomatoes
1/2 cup Raisins
1 cup white wine
2 tablespoons madras curry
2 bay leaves
salt and pepper
Olive Oil
Season Chicken with Salt and Pepper. Set aside.
In a large Dutch Oven heat over medium high heat add bacon and cook until bacon is crispy. Remove and set aside. Add 2 teaspoons of olive oil to bacon fat and add a several pieces of chicken to the pot making sure to not over crowd and let brown on each side for about 5 minutes. Repeating until you have browned all of the pieces .Adjust heat if chicken is not browning quickly. Removed browned pieces to a bowl.
Add 2 teaspoons of oil to the pot and add veggies. Season with a teaspoon of salt and pepper and sauce until the veggies are just starting to soften about 7 minutes. Add chicken back into the pot, add chopped tomatoes ,curry powder, raisins, bay leaves and white wine. Mix all the ingredients together. Taste for seasoning and add more curry powder or salt according to taste .Bring up to a heavy simmer turn down to low and cover. Cook on low heat- making sure that the pot is at a low simmer for about 1 hour and 15 mins.Check periodically to make sure not sticking and stir. Turn off , add bacon back in and let rest for 30 mins. Serve over a bed of rice and enjoy!
Country Captain Chicken Pot Pie
3 Medium Potatoes Peeled and cut into bite size pieces
3 Carrots peeled and cut into bite size pieces
1 package puff pastry brought to room temperature
3 tablespoons heavy cream
1 tablespoon Milk
Leftover Country Captain
Pre-heat Oven to 375
Remove the chicken from the bone and add the chicken and the Country Captain sauce to a large pot. In a large sauce pan add potatoes and carrots with an inch of water cover and cook over a medium high heat for about 20 mins or until the veggies start to become tender. Drain and add veggies to Country Captain.
Heat the Country Captain Veggie mixture over a medium high heat. Taste for salt and pepper and add according to taste. Add cream and pour into a baking dish. Place puff pastry over the Country Captain and press to the sides ( you may need to roll it out so that it fits accordingly ) . Brush with Milk and sprinkle salt and a couple of turns of black pepper on the top.
Bake for about 30 minutes or until the crust turns a golden brown. Let sit for a couple of minutes before serving and enjoy!
